Alfonso Rodriguez-Vazquez and Nestor Fabian Sinaloa-Sinaloa, both Mexican nationals, found that out the hard way. They were busted in relation to a big pot grow in Routt National Forest.

However, the announcement about the case from the U.S. Attorney's Office demonstrates that the changes in attitude toward cannabis in this state and beyond have made at least a modest impact on the feds.

Instead of boasting about protecting the citizenry from the deadly scourge of ganja, as they might have done during the height of the War on Drugs era, prosecutors and law enforcers instead justify the action by portraying the grow as an environmental hazard.

The grow covered approximately three-quarters of an acre in the Buffalo Pass area, not far from Steamboat Springs.

Lady’s slipper (Cypripedium fasciculatum), a wildflower common in the Buffalo Pass area.

Regarding the grow, a tipster who noticed "suspicious activity" contacted the U.S. Forest Service, which removed approximately 1,000 plants, as well as camping gear and assorted trash, in addition to busting Rodriguez-Vazquez and Sinaloa-Sinaloa. They're next due in court on Thursday, September 3; they've been charged with the manufacture of marijuana and could receive a sentence of between five and forty years in federal prison and a $5 million fine apiece.

A campsite along National Forest System Road 60 in the Buffalo Pass area.

Photo by Veronica Orwan courtesy of the USDA Forest Service

In a comment about the action, U.S. Attorney John Walsh issued a statement with a decidedly ecological tone. “Abusing the lands that belong to all citizens in order to make drug money is going to get you prosecuted," he said.

Added U.S. Forest Service Special Agent in Charge Laura Mark, "The Forest Service remains committed to providing safety to forest visitors and employees and protecting the natural resources."

And then there's this passage:

According to the Forest Service, illegal marijuana cultivation poses a public safety risk and also directly harms the environment. The illegal use of pesticides can cause extensive long-term damage to natural resources. For example, the supply of public drinking water for hundreds of miles may be impacted because of one marijuana growing site. Overall, the negative impact of marijuana sites on natural resources is severe. Human waste, trash and the use of pesticides are widespread, contamination from sites affects fish and wildlife habitats, and soil erosion is common. In addition, water usage is extreme because each marijuana plant is estimated to require a gallon of water per day — water that is critical to native vegetation, wildlife and public drinking water sources.

It's premature to suggest that this spin offers indicates that the federal government may soon stop demonizing marijuana itself, as opposed to the damage that can be done by unregulated growers. But the language is certain different than it might have been after a drug bust twenty, or even ten, years ago.